Down in a green and shady bed, a modest violet grew ...

Good morning lovelies!

What better way than to be greeted with a beautiful bunch of hand-picked wild flowers? These gorgeous displays are part of the setting at Violet & The Peapod, the unique and very lovely teashop which I visit often.  I was very lucky to actually work there a couple of weeks ago ...

The cakes are all home made on the premises throughout the day, so the smells of home baking mingle with the scent of fresh flowers ... a very heady mix! Kris, the owner of Violet's, is a food tech teacher in her other life, so the quality is first class ... Mary Berry eat your heart out!

The iced gingerbread is always very popular, as is the delicious double chocolate cake, above.

Ahem, this is my contribution! I mentioned to Kris that I hadn't made a Swiss roll since I was about 14, and weren't they very complicated? With that the mixing bowl was placed in front of me and I made a Black Cherry and Chocolate Roulade!

 It wasn't to Kris's high standard, but some did get sold, and I took the rest home, where it was wolfed down before it reached the tin eaten with relish. Not literally, as that wouldn't be a good combination.

Ooh, decisions, decisions!

Kris also sells genuine vintage clothes, and I can just imagine Jackie Kennedy wearing this gorgeous pink lace suit in the 60's ... unfortunately it is only a size 6 to 8, so I'll definitely have to lay off the cake for a little while ...

Everyone is encouraged to have a try-on!

 I always think coming to Violet's reminds me very much of tea at my Nana's house.  Crisp, embroidered tablecloths, rosy china, spotless white walls with shelves overflowing with treasures.  The nice thing is that complete strangers start chatting to each other, the staff pull up a chair and join in ... it's that sort of place, everyone feels welcome and you could quite easily go there alone, which is something I'm not usually comfortable about doing.

This pair of lovebirds recently celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary, and came to Violet's to celebrate.  They visit every week, and I love to hear their tales.  Mary is also an accomplished cook and has appeared on tv several times ... this just shows the quality of the cakes served here, as Mary is often called upon to judge at country fairs! Isn't the dress in the background gorgeous? Very 'Granny Chic', don't you think?

If ever you are lucky enough to visit the lovely market town of Ulverston, South Cumbria, don't forget to pop into Violet's (down the ginnel next to Tesco), open Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  You won't be sorry!

Back home I've been getting my house ready for Summer.  Looking out of the window today, the hot days of the last fortnight seem a distant memory! I change my curtains and cushions for lighter, flowery ones, and sort my shelves out ...

I remember doing this last year when we had so much to celebrate! Where does the time go?

I love to pick up unusual seaside mugs on my travels ...

Very Enid Blyton!

A lovely lady from Jamaica ...

And this lively, vibrant couple ... aren't they fabulous? I spotted the gentleman, shaking his maraccas, high up on a wall in a furniture warehouse, thinking he looked a bit lonely.  On my way out, his lovely lady was shaking her booty by the door, so they were soon reunited.  They scrubbed up really well ...

Unlike poor Dolly Button! I was treasure hunting with Millie when she spotted this poor little rag doll hiding under a pile of rags.  She said we couldn't just leave her there, so home she came with us.  The young man in the warehouse always gives me very strange looks when I lug my pile of old tat precious items to him to tot up.  I knew that he was thinking Millie was also slightly deranged. Anyway, we took Dolly home, I washed her not once, not twice, but seven times and still couldn't get her clean.  In the end I removed all her clothes, put her in a pillow case, and washed on a very gentle wash.  Unfortunately a lot of her innards fell out, so it is going to be a real labour of love renovating her.  Millie seems to have gone off the idea ...

I'll just leave you with this sentiment ...

Until next time, my lovelies, enjoy your days ...

Love, Claire xxx

Rock Around the Dock ...

Would be amazing to see you today, if any of you are in the area! I've got a stall with lots of goodies, there's a fabulous tearoom selling afternoon tea and lots, lots more ... will tell you all about it next time!

Have fun in the sun, my lovelies!

Love Claire xxx

June is bustin' out all over ....

Don't you just love it when the sun shines? These past few days have been so warm and bright, I've spent a lot of time in my little garden, pottering about, pulling a weed here and there and planting flowers bought at the car boot sale for pennies.

This the glorious view from my kitchen window ... it surprises me every time I walk into the kitchen!

 I've been doing lots of washing which is drying almost as soon as it's been hung on the line ... I have a lavender bush directly underneath the line, so bedding smells delicious when  it's brought back in ...

I get up early, load the washing machine, prepare tea, childmind for a couple of hours, take the children to school, walk the dog ... and all before 9.30! Then the deckchair summons and I collapse exhausted for an hour or two ... back in the real world, this doesn't really happen ... wouldn't it be lovely if it did!

Millie has now left school (oh, where have those years gone?) and is just going in for exams, so there's lots of time between revision sessions for nice lunches in the sun  ...

I've been paying a bit of attention to my bike, but am wondering whether to paint it again ... it's faded quite a lot .... a bit like me!

On my walks, I wander beside the sea, through fields filled with wildflowers, so I gather as I go ... just one sprig from a patch here and there ... so you wouldn't even notice it had gone ... tra la laa ...

On my other travels, I've picked up some lovely treasures, this old book, in really good condition, from the late 1950's ... given as a prize for good attendance at Sunday School

and this one I bought for my little sis, because it was always her favourite ...

Classic Enid Blyton, another Sunday School prize from 1959 ... I had never heard of it before, but just loved the very look of it!

I also found this little Sylvac vase, which I thought very unusual ... unfortunately there are lots of the same rarity on Ebay!

And finally, if anything is guaranteed to make you feel your age, it's appearing on the Memories Page of your local newspaper! That's me, grinning like a fool, top left, in 1979 ... with 2 of my best friends who I went ot London with (see last post).

I've been working at Violet's for the past couple of weeks, and really enjoyed that ... the best job in  the world, in  fact.  Where else would you be welcomed with a pot of tea and freshly baked cake of your choice, and told "just sit for a while, I want you to enjoy yourself, we're not busy at the moment"? I spent the days amongst vintage loveliness, meeting lovely customers, making a cake here and there, tittivating displays and trying on clothes ... as I said before, the perfect job! Don't forget, my lovelies, if you're ever in Ulverston, South Cumbria, on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, do call in, you really won't be disappointed.  The best way I can describe it is teatime at your Grannies!

Hope the sun shines on you all this week!

Love Claire xxx

Down to London ...

Happy Monday. my lovelies! I got back late last night, from my fun-filled weekend away in London, with my 5 bestest friends, to celebrate Sandra's 21st ... (decide for yourself what part of that sentence veers somewhat from the truth)

We started out bright and early on Friday morning, and as soon as we boarded the first class carriage at Lancaster the celebrations began ... Julie grappling with a bottle of bubbly ...

Michelle on the left and me cheesily grinning on the right ...

Sandra (the birthday girl) and Sharon

Refreshing Buck's Fizz (well it was Eurovision weekend)

and chocolate cake baked by moi ... I'm surprised it was still intact!

After checking into our hotel at Marble Arch, and a quick wash and brush-up, we made our way to the award-winning Athenaeum Hotel, where afternoon tea awaited us ....

Could get used to this!

The birthday girl with her very own cup-cake ...

A walk down the road to The Dorchester, for one or two cocktails ...

This was my creation ... no garish umbrellas and dangling monkeys here!

Hung about a bit to see if the owner of this Bentley appeared ... could it possibly belong to Leo? We then jumped in a black London taxi and went to a Lebanese restaurant for our evening meal, of fish, chicken, falafel, hummus and baklava, which was followed by entertainment, burlesque style ...

Sandra was the star of the show ...

Next morning we breakfasted like kings and made our way across town with a leisurely stroll through the shops ...

Seeing interesting sights on the way .... this is my preferred way of seeing the capital in all its glory ...

We didn't go on The Duck Tours this time, but I have in the past with my family, and can thoroughly recommend it ... a tour of London landmarks in a WW2 amphibious vehicle, then a splashdown on the Thames! Our destination today was the Thames, for a trip to The Tower of London ...

Upon Westminster Bridge ...

Viewing the sights along the way ...

The London Eye ...

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre ...

The iconic Shard ...

HMS Belfast ...

and the impressive Tower Bridge and the first sighting of The Tower of London ...

The hairs on the back of my neck always prickle when I see Traitor's Gate ... Imagine being rowed along this great river, entering this gate at the side of The Tower ...

and embarking on the other side, walking up the steps, knowing the grisly end that awaited ...

After a good few hours of Horrible History, pomp and circumstance, and a dash of bling in the form of The Crown Jewels, we had a little saunter through St Katherine Dock to a nice little bar, where we sought shelter from the cold ...

and ordered some refreshment (for medicinal purposes, you understand) ...

Girls on Tour!

Once suitably refreshed, we boarded the boat again, made our way to The Strand and our evening meal, before crossing the road to our evening's destination ...

I must admit, I wasn't really looking forward to this show, but how wrong I was ... it is my favourite to date! Thrills, spills and great songs ... I won't reveal too much in case you're planning a trip, but it got a standing ovation, and everyone came out buzzing!

We walked back to our hotel taking in the sights and sounds of Chinatown, Soho, Carnaby St ... Liberty's windows looking very springlike ...

A blurry Claridges ...

After a good night's sleep and a fabulous breakfast, once again we set off to cross London, our destination? The amazing, cosmopolitan, bohemian Covent Garden.

The vibrancy of this little corner of the capital never ceases to amaze me!

Cath had moved since last time I was there, but I located her and spent a very pleasant hour ...

Window shopping ...

and a little light refreshment, before heading back for our cases, and then the long journey home.

A lot of laughs on the journey, we were entertained (unknowingly on his part) by a fellow passenger ... my eldest son Oliver joined us on the last leg, as he was returning from visiting his girlfriend ... we arrived home, tired, happy, skint ... the perfect ending to the perfect weekend!

Hope yours was amazing too!

Lots of Love, Claire xxx